I just recently moved my Iguana's cage, which USED to be in my bedroom, out to the sun porch in my home. Since the weather is getting nicer, I thought it would be a good opportunity since having your bedroom shared by a six foot green iguana is not my idea of comfort.A couple of days ago, it was so sunny and beautiful outside, I decided to let him sit on the deck rail (which he has done many times before) to catch some good UV rays. I thought he would be fine while I went to Wal Mart for an hour.
When I came home, i found him not on the deck rail where i left him...but about twenty five feet up a tree! I decided I would let him be for a while to see what he would do...not that I could have done anything since there were really no climbing branches on the particular tree he chose.
Well, the enxt thing I know, the weather starts to turn chillier, then the skies got black, then the doggone tornado wirens start wailing! Of all times, we had just been put under a tornado warning and it was getting pretty windy! My kids were all upset. The storm passed pretty quickly with nothing further than a brief, very hard rainfall. Still, the dumb iguana is up in the tree swaying back and forth.
I wasn't really sure, since he has been captive all his life, that he would actually climb the twenty some feet back DOWN the tree although they are arborial creatures by nature. By the time dark arrived, he was still up the darn tree. Kids are now crying, because he will be very cold and wet. What do they expect me to do? Fire department can't get the truck in the backyard, mom cant shimmy up the tree..what am I to do? Well, the answer was..nothing, not a darn thing. He stayed in that tree all night and forze his scales off (not literally).
The next morning as soon as the sun came up, he got down that tree. I still don't know whether he fell down, climbed down, or even jumped down. He was really cold. As he has been cold a few times before, I knew he would pretty scary to try and pick up, but I did anyway and brought him inside and put him on his bed with his heating pads and warming light. They have very little muscle control when they are cold, and subsequently are kind of violent because they can't really protect themselves.
I have a question directed to whomever may be able to give advice on this subject: I know that Iguanas are tropical creatures and I know what their normal temperatures SHOULD be, and I also know that if they are subjected to really cold temperatures, they are sorry creatures for a bit, but bounce back pretty good. My question is, does this have any long term effect on an iguana to get that cold? Does it kill off their tiny brain cells? Will my iguana be retarded if he keeps getting cold? Please someone, help me know the answer!
